Automatic high-pressure-reducing valve.



J. 0. HOOPER. AUTOMATIC HIGH PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21,1911.

1,036,244, Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

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JOHN C. HOOPER,

MARVIN JONES, OF BRUNSWICK, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC HIGH-PRESSURE-BEDUCING VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 20, 1912.

Application filed February 21, 1911. Serial No. 610,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. Hoornn, citizen of the United States,residing at Brunswick, in the county of Frederick and State of Maryland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticHigh-Pressure-Reducing Valves, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in airbrake systems, and relates particularly to an automatic pressurereducing valve designed to be attached to an auxiliary reservoir, toprevent the overcharging of the train line.

To those versed in the art to which this invention appertains, if theengineers brake valve remains too long in recharging position, theauxiliary reservoir and train line will become overcharged, requiring anapplication of the brakes to reduce the air pressure to normal, thiscontingency being extremely likely to happen at the present time withthe highly sensitive quick action air brake systems that are now beinginstalled.

\Vith a knowledge of these conditions, my invention aims toautomatically prevent this overcharging of the train line, by providingan automatic high pressure reducing valve, and the invention also hasfor one of its main objects, and more specifically,

considered, a device of this character which will be simple in itsconstruction and durable and very efficient in operation, being designedfor attachment to auxiliary reservoirs in place of the ordinary pressurereducing or bleedvalves that have heretofore been employed, theinvention also embodying means whereby the valve may be operatedmanually as well as automatically.

With these and other objects in view as will mord fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions,arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a viewillustratingone application of my improved valve; Fig.2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section of the valve, parts beingshown in side elevation; Fig. 3 is an'end elevation of the valve; and,

it is well known that Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a yokehereinafter specifically described.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates an auxiliaryreservoir and 2 designates the base of my improved automatic highpressure reducing valve, said base being of hexagonal orother polygonalform, and being provided with a threaded nipple 3 by which it may bescrewed into an opening formed in the wall of the auxiliary reservoir 1.The base 2 of the valve casing, said casing being designated A as awhole, is formed at its outer end with an exteriorly threaded extension4:, the threads of which are designed for engagement by the interiorthreads 5 that are formed on the inner end of the main body portion 6 ofthe casing.

The base 2 is formed with a longitudinally extending opening 7 leadingat its outer end into a chamber 8, a valve seat 9 being provided in thechamber and designed for engagement by a valve body 10, the seat 9 inthe present instance'being formed by a cylindrical ring or bushing, asbest illustrated in Fig. 2. The valve body 10 is formed with an inwardlyprojecting stem 11 mounted in the opening 7, shown, and with anoutwardly projecting stem 12 protruding from the outer end 0 the bodyportion 6 of the valve casing A and provided at itsouter end with a head13 formed by a nut, as shown. The inner face of the head 13 constitutesa shoulder, as is evident. V v

The outer end of the stem 12 passes through an adjustment nut 14, whichworks in the threaded outer end of the body portion 6, the inner end ofthe nut 14 being designed to bear against the outer end of a helicalspring 15 which encircles the stem and which bears at its inner end onthe outer side of the valve body 10. It is to be understood that thisspring 15 has its tension adjusted by the nut 14 to, say, seventy poundspressure, or to whatever other pressure is to be considered as thenormal pressure in the auxiliary reservoir. The wall of the body portion6 of the valve casing is formed with a port 16 extending therethrough,whereby when the valve body 10 is opened, the pressure within theauxiliary reservoir may be relieved by permitting the air to flow outthrough the opening 7 into the chamber 8 and thence to the atmospherethrough the port 16.

The nut 14 is provided at opposite sides with two pairs of outwardlyprojecting and substantially parallel bracket arms 17, the arms of eachpair being laterally spaced from each other, as best illustrated in Fig.3, and being joined together near their outer ends by cross bars 18,whereby to provide recesses 19 in the outer ends of the brackets.

20 designates a yoke which is designed to be received in the recesses19, said yoke being formed with an opening 21 through which the stem 12extends, whereby the outward movement of the yoke will effect the en-vgagemeiit thereof with the inwardly facing shoulder that is formed bythe nut or head 13, and consequently positively open the valve againstthe tension of the spring 15, when it is desired to manually reduce thepressure. The yoke 20 includes inwardly projecting and substantiallyparallel arms 22, each of which is forked at its inner end, as at 23,for engagement with an actuating rod, (not shown).

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying'drawing, the operation of my improved automatic high pressure reducingvalve will be apparent. In the practical use of the device, theadjust-ing nut 14 is manipulated so as to impose, say, seventy poundspressure or tension on the spring 15. Hence, whenever, for any reason,the pressure in the train line and auxiliary reservoir equipped with myimproved valve exceeds seventy pounds, the valve body 10 will beautomatically unseated by the pressure of the air and the excesspressure will be permitted to escape to the atmosphere through the port16, the pressure being thereby automatically reduced. l/Vhenever it isdesired to manually unseat the valve, it is only necessary to swingoutwardly one of the arms 22, the adjoining end of the main cross bar ofthe-yoke 20 being thereby swung outwardly from its recess 19 and theyoke engaging the head 13. while the opposite end of the cross bar ofthe yoke rests within its recess and bears upon the bottom thereof(cross bar 18) as a fulcrum. It will thus be seen that the valve can beunseated by the manipulation I of either arm '22, and with equalfacility, and that no bolts of other means are necessary to pivotallyconnect the yoke or its.

arms to the supporting bracket 17', while at the same time a relativelylarge degree of leverage is produced by the construction and arrangementof parts h ereinbefore shown and described. Furthermore, as the brackets17 of each pair are outwardly offset from the body portion 6 of thecasing A and laterally spaced from each other, the

arm 22 which swings inwardly as the other arm is positively swung out,will move in between its bracket arms and thereby assist in holding theparts in proper correlated position.

The outer wall of the chamber 8 within the valve casing is defined byapreferably beveled ground seat 24 designed for engagement by thecorrespondingly formed seat 25 on the valve body 10. In case the spring15 should break or otherwise lose its proper tension, the pressure ofthe air within the reservoir will manifestly move the valve body 10 out,whereby to effect the engagement of the seats 24 and 25 and therebyprevent an excessive loss of pressure, the communication between theatmosphere and the interior of the reservoir being elfectually closed.Preferably, the yoke 20 is formed with inwardly facing recesses 26 inits inner edge, designed to fit over the cross bars 18 so as to assistin holding the yoke properly in position.

In the preferred construction of the device, the bracket arms 17 areformed integral with the tension adjusting nut 14, whereby said nut maybe easily adjusted by grasping and turning the arms. I

While the accompanying drawing and foregoing description disclose whatbe lieve tobe the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that variouschanges may be made in the details of construction, arrangement andproportions of the parts without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

An automatic and manually operable high pressure reducing valve,including a casing comprising a base and a body portion having adetachable connection with the base, the base being formed with anupwardly facing valve seatand a chamber surrounding the same, the bodyportion of the casing being formed in its side with a port lead ing tothe atmosphere, a'valvebody mounted in "said casing and arranged forengagement with said seat, a stem secured to the valve body andprojecting upwardly out of the upper end of the casing, such end of thecasing being interiorly threaded, a spring encircling said stem andbearing at one end upon the valve body, a threaded adjustment plugloosely mounted on the stem and working in the threaded end of thecasing and bearing against the other end of the spring, said plug beingformed with two pairs of laterally and outwardly projecting arms, andcross pins connecting the respective arms of each pair below the upperextremities of such arms whereby to produce upwardly facing recesses, 'anut screwing on the upper end of the valve stem and constituting a headtherefor, and a yoke consisting of an apertured cross bar looselymounted on, the stem and adapted to engage the nut the cross bar beingformed in its lower edge with recesses adapted to en' gage the crosspins, and the cross bar normally lying in said recesses, the yoke alsoconsisting of downwardly extending handle In testimony whereof, I affixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. HOOPER.

WVitnesses:

A. C. STEWART, GUY B. DINGIcs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, D. G.

